1993 Ford Thunderbird Brake Service (ONLINE REPAIR MANUALS)

Remove wheels and inspect brake disc, caliper and linings. The wheel bearings should be inspected at this time and repacked if necessary. Do not get any grease on the linings.

If the caliper is cracked or fluid leakage through the casting is evident, it must be replaced as a unit.

Should it become necessary to remove the caliper when installing new parts, clean all parts in alcohol, then wipe dry using lint-free cloths. Using an air hose, blow out drilled passages and bores. Check dust boots for punctures or tears. If punctures or tears are evident, install new boots during assembly.

In...

REMOVAL

• Raise and support rear of vehicle, then remove tire and wheel assembly.
• Remove brake drum.
• Install suitable wheel cylinder clamp over ends of wheel cylinder to retain pistons in bore.
• Disconnect parking brake cable from parking brake lever.
• Remove two brake shoe hold-down retainers, springs and pins, Fig. .
• Spread brake shoes over piston shoe guide slots, then lift brake shoes, springs and adjuster off backing plate as an assembly.
• Remove adjuster spring.
• Remove retracting springs to separate shoes.
• Remove parking brake lever retaining clip, spring and washer.
• Remove lever from pin.

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HYDRAULIC BRAKE FLUID COLOR

Hydraulic brake fluid must conform with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 116. Under this standard, brake fluids are visually different from other automotive fluids such as transmission, power steering and engine.

Fluid color in a normal brake system may vary from its original color for many reasons. A brake master cylinder may show significantly different shades fluid color between the two brake master cylinder reservoirs. Color may also appear to vary between cast steel and die cast aluminum reservoirs. Some reasons for discolorati...

BRAKE ROUGHNESS

The most common cause of brake chatter on disc brakes is a variation in thickness of the disc. If roughness or vibration is encountered during highway operation or if pedal pumping is experienced at low speeds, the disc may have excessive thickness variation. To check for this condition, measure the disc at 12 points with a micrometer at a radius approximately one inch from edge of disc. If thickness measurements vary by more than ...

Never use copper tubing as a replacement for steel tubing. Copper tubing is subject to fatigue cracking and corrosion which could result in brake system failure.

Steel tubing is used to conduct hydraulic pressure to the brakes. All fittings, tubing and hose should be inspected for rusted, damaged or defective flared seats. The tubing is equipped with a double flare/inverted seat or I.S.O. flare to insure more positive seating in the fitting. To repair or reflare tubing, proceed as follows:

DOUBLE FLARE/INVERTED SEAT

• Cut off the damaged seat or damaged tubing.
• Ream out any burrs or ...

Pressure bleeding is recommended for all hydraulic disc brake systems.

The disc brake hydraulic system can be bled manually or with pressure bleeding equipment. The brake pedal will require more pumping and frequent checking of fluid level in master cylinder during bleeding operation.

Do not use brake fluid drained from the hydraulic system when bleeding the brakes. Be sure the disc brake pistons are returned to their normal positions and the shoe and lining assemblies are properly seated. Before driving the vehicle, check brake operation to be sure a firm pedal has been obtain...